Who cares what Denny thinks. If the antis had the ability to organize politically, then why has Obama (who sympathizes with them) ignored their agenda? The reality is that the Brady’s do not have the ability to affect neither the GOP nomination nor the ’12 general election. Gun control is becoming such a stinker of an issue Paul Helmke bailed out leaving Denny in charge. No matter how he tries to spin it, things are not looking up for the antis.

Some good news in our efforts to purge MAIG members from office. SEIU has endorsed challenger Maureen Walker in the race against incumbent Mount Vernon Mayor Clinton Young. While I don’t believe guns were an issue for the union, anything that helps turn out voters in the primary for the opposition helps us by piggybacking on our own GOTV efforts to defeat Young in next month’s elections. Gun owners win if Young loses.

“The economy is so dismal that President Barack Obama will have to re-write the political history books if he hopes to win re-election, political strategists say … “His campaign will have to shift the issue,” [Matt Towery, CEO of the nonpartisan InsiderAdvantage] tells Newsmax. “They’re going to have to find a way to make unemployment and the economy not the major issue …” Towery envisions the following options for Obama … Move hard to the left and really push the class-warfare issue …”

It’s an obvious choice and while I do think Obama will go this way, I do not think it will include gun control as part of the strategy. Regardless of his personal opinions on the issue, gun control groups like the Bradys, NYAGV, CSGV, etc. simply do not have the ability to affect Obama’s re-election chances. They have no money, manpower or voting constituency to bring to the table. Pandering to them won’t get him anything, but it will piss off people who might otherwise vote Democrat. If/when the big Left turn comes I do expect much whining from the antis like they did earlier on in his presidency when it became apparent that Obama wasn’t much interested in advancing their big ticket items including Carolyn McCarthy’s magazine prohibition bill H.R. 308.

“… Some Onondaga County Democrats have said privately that they would prefer to see someone new challenge Buerkle next fall. Maffei said he is aware of such “naysayers” and hopes to prove them wrong in the next 14 months … Maffei, who has three Ivy League degrees, said he is aware that some of his detractors say he has trouble relating to people. “I know people, jokingly or not, say Dan Maffei is too smart or too cerebral,” he said. “I do have to work on communicating with people better.” …”

Actually, I think he’s been quite clear in communicating with his constituents. He accepted campaign contributions from the Brady’s while Buerkle co-sponsors the CCW reciprocity bill HR-822. If he’s so smart then why did he decide to get into bed with the antis for a measly $250 donation? There is no way their endorsement was going to be beneficial to his re-election campaign.

Why he’s considering jumping into the race I do not know. My only guess is to provide comic relief during the ’12 election cycle. That is the only explanation I can come up with as his beta website apparently contained a section called “Pataki’s Record.” That is the last thing he would want to highlight in a campaign.

“… to think, with his values, he would stand a chance in a Republican—in a right-wing Republican—primary, that is really ludicrous …”

“… Having to come to term with the labor unions, his spending record, his record on social issues, suggest it would be very hard to get nominated …”

“… I don’t remember anyone saying, ‘Pataki, remember the good old days?’” …”

Contrast that with this nonsense from Fred Dicker, “GOP big pushes Giuliani for vice prez“. Now go back to the first article and re-read it substituting “Rudy Giuliani” for “George Pataki” and see what you get. Same article, right?

The voting guide for the September 13 special elections and primary elections has been posted on the PVF website.

The most important of the bunch is the special election for AD-116 where we’re going with Greg Johnson. Although the district does have a Democrat enrollment advantage, with low turnout we have a reasonable shot at pushing Johnson over the top. A supportive ad will be running in the next issue of NY Outdoor News.